A visual improvisation over the themes in Farid ud-Din Attar's classic Persian book "The Conference of the Birds" (also "The Speech of the Birds"). To me Sís deserves to be called the best living book illustrator, that means: The Gustave Doré of our age. His images actually do not illustrate, but they are carrying the story. The words in this book are brief, poetic, with abrupt changes in mood or topic. The words are secondary. Sís proves here that he can not only draw birds very well, but also labyrinths and mazes. Peter Sis presents a graphic adaptation of the 12th century poem "The Conference of the Birds" by Attar of Nishapur. The story follows that all the birds of the world, sick of all the misery and suffering on Earth, set out on a lengthy journey to find a king, Simorgh, who will put things right. Along the way they journey through 7 valleys: Quest, Love, Understanding, Detachment, Unity, Amazement, and Death.Much of the poem is missing from this book as the focus of this book is Sis's artwork - and what artwork it is! The conference of the birds at the start is extraordinarily detailed with a double page look at thousands of birds of all species in one open plain and Sis has drawn every one so they are all distinct. The valleys are all beautifully painted to reflect the various themes, and the mountain of the king at the end is particularly haunting.This is a parable and has that dreamlike element of all great parables where reality and fantasy fuse wonderfully - but I found the ending to be a bit... trite? I realise this is a nearly 1000 year old story but the message at the end was still a bit cheesy, the kind of payoff Khalil Gibran and Paulo Coelho made famous in their books. If you enjoy those writers and wonderful artwork, this book is for you. For me, the artwork makes this book worth picking up.
What do You think about Ptačí Sněm (2011)?
Beautiful introspection, an artful account of an ancient poem.
—ajihat
Spectacular illustrated edition of a very old tale.
—Phoenix
This book has become my grownup bedtime story.
—Sludge
